#there’s too much wrong with me and no one’s ever shown romantic interest in me

[doodle-pops]

House of Feanor | A Maia Reader is Interested in Them (Pre-Darkening)

Request: Hey Mina! If you’re ok with it, could you write your headcanons for the house of Feanor having a Maiar interested in them romantically? Pre or Post darkening is fine, whichever is most interesting to you. I know canonically it’s basically unheard of for a Maia to marry an Elf but I think about it frequently because the Ainur fascinate me 💀 - Anon

A/N: I wanted to do post-darkening, but then I realised how angsty I would have made that, so I bailed, plus I was in the mood for fluff. Enjoy!!

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Feanor

Feanor being the ever so passionate and intriguing figure is more interested in you than you are in him. Furthermore, it wasn’t shocking for him when he discovered that a Maia was interested in him.

He’s literally spending all his time in Aule’s forges, what else to expect? His presence would have you hooked from the very start. The charm, the charisma, his voice, features, everything about him.

The only thing you and he would clash on numerous occasions for, is your love and appreciation towards the Valar, considering them beings who can do no wrong, and his pride and impulsiveness.

Apart from that, you and Feanor spend hours engaging in deep, philosophical discussions about the nature of the world and the secrets of creation. You would even extend your knowledge in creating towards his crafting.

The one thing you would constantly have to put up with (just like Nerdanel) is his fiery temper and hatred towards the rest of his family and Indis. You will forever have to temper his harshness and vocalisation, but also prepare yourself for being shown off and rubbed in his brothers’ faces.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Maedhros

When the both of you are together, walking about and basking in the joys of each other’s presence, no one can tell the difference between who is elf and Maia. You both appear as two Maiar due to the ethereal beauty and grace you exert.

He does find solace in your calm and serene presence, given his elder brother’s duties being too much at times and dwelling in a noisy household. With you, he is able to drop his guard and be himself without the need to be on edge.

Most of the time, you spend moments getting to know each other better and explore the realms of emotion and touch since it may be uncommon for you. Maedhros finds joy in teach you how to hold hands or fingers and express your elation, the same way you teach him.

At the same time, you would offer him knowledge, support, and guidance on taking the role of being a leader and role model to his younger brothers. Though, it would take a copious amount of time before you ever get introduced to his family.

He finds your ethereal and otherworldly presence not worth being among his family yet, wants to be a bit selfish and have you to himself for the great part of learning you. Plus, he knows it will be a huge talk around Valinor and his father would talk everyone’s ear off.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Maglor

It would only be fair that you and Maglor became interested in one another due to your common love for the arts, your poetry or storytelling and the music. The perfect duo, matchmade in heaven Valinor.

You have been interested in hearing his voice up close and in person which triggered a plethora of emotions, urging you to pursue the minstrel. And now, you both spend your time singing tales and writing stories in your free time, teaching him how to incorporate more magic into his songs.

Being around him means being his inspiration in his art and encouraging him to express his deepest emotions. His household has never known peace since the day you met him and became a frequent visitor.

Maglor holds a deep respect for you as his muse and person of interest, though, he can be partially nervous around you because of your differences and the breath-taking voice you emit which surpasses him. You got a little grumbly Maglor sulking in a corner.

At the same time, he is proud to call you his and dies on the inside with you call him yours. Due to your interactions with him, you are quickly able to navigate emotional and physical intimacy with him, smoothly transitioning into your relationship.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Celegorm

He’s loud and hollering that a Maia is interested in him. “Like have you not seen me? I’m the hottest thing since the light of the two trees. Of course they’d fall for someone with irresistible charm like me.”

Seriously, Tyelko is smug at the realisation that he managed to not only be an apprentice of a Vala and have a Maia as an animal companion, but also managed to impress one to have them like him.

It’s hard for him to shut up about how ecstatic he is about you liking him and wanting to be with him. Most of the time you and Tyelko would be alone, which means Huan would also depart, so he can impress you with his charm and knowledge while he takes you on hunts.

This doesn’t mean that he’s going ignore the fact that you are more intelligent than him. Tyelko will drink up every word that pours from your lips like sweet nectar. He will value all the lessons you give him and all the magic you teach him.

At the same time, be prepared to hear him complain about you and Huan always spending time together and ignoring him because he forgets that Huan and you are similar.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Caranthir

Initially, he is aloof before he slowly opens up to your patient and understands the nature of wanting to get to know him better. Moryo is stunned that you managed to notice him among the crowd of six other brothers, thus it makes him more appreciative.

With his desire for peace and tranquillity, he would easily find himself in your presence more often than he expected as time graduates. It’s quite an adorable sight to witness you and Moryo navigating with expressing your emotions.

He is grateful your for peaceful presence being about stability due to his love for quiet support. Most of your time spent will be away from his home and more among nature where he can observe you in your element, likewise the same with him.

With his love for fabrics, he would love when you show your interest by accompanying him to shop or gathering unique patterned clothes for him to work with, even expressing an interest to learn.

The most you would have to deal with are his quick outbursts when displeasure kicks in. As a Maia, you would have seen the Valar distraught before, but witnessing it with someone you were interested in brought new waves of emotions. At least you were gentle to guide him to relief.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Curufin

You’re probably a Maia of crafts or one that surrounds the elements of this world capable of being moulding into tangible objects. Hence your fascination with Curufin the moment you laid eyes on him.

Like his father, he too is fascinated by the nature of you and your knowledge of lore and craft, seeing a potential ally in his pursuits. Your presence would be of great assistance when it comes to offering insights that would enhance his skills.

Many occasions you two can be found working together on projects as you continue to learn more about each other. And you would come to realise that when engrossed in his craft, you can barely squeeze a response out of him.

He too, has his cold temperament that you would come face to face with on numerous occasions, as well as his ruthless ambitions, which would require you to guide him towards a more balanced goal.

One thing to note is his pride when it comes towards your interest in him; he takes it seriously and prays that what you two have develops into something more. It’s not often he opens up to people, so you coming along like the sunshine in his life is something he would cherish, silently.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Amrod and Amras

Let’s say you’re a Maia of adventure, one whose spirit is wild and yearns for tales of far-off places. Amrod and Amras are going to love your presence more than ever, each tailing behind you with eyes and hearts yearning for more.

Together, you and Amrod or Amras would embark on adventures across Valinor into the deep woods and over the mountains, under the hills and around the river bends, telling tales as you go, and teaching them magic tricks (which makes their pranks all the more daring).

Whichever of the twins you are dating, you still get the opportunity to teach them about independence and being their individual, helping them find their identity and take a stand against those who only view them as the same.

There will be lots of fun and playful moments shared between the two of you, while they teach you how to be mischievous so you can play pranks on your fellow Maiar when you return to your sanctuary.

All your time spent around Amrod or Amras will be filled with experiences and endless days of learning new forms of fun. Your relationship will be as though you are two peas in a pod.

˖ ࣪ . ࿐♡˚. Celebrimbor

Like his father and grandfather (because let’s pretend that another Maia wasn’t also interested in him) Tyelpe would be profoundly grateful to learn that a Maia was interested in him and his craftsmanship, wanting to teach and learn alongside him.

You both would spend hours and even days locked up in the forge tinkering to create new majestic pieces of art (please don’t go making the Silmarils 2.0 or the rings, enough people died for those). Plus, you would have the opportunity to bless the objects.

He is deeply grateful that such a divine entity like you would find great interest in him and is willing to openly spend time with him, apart from crafting, to get to know him better. He probably died and was reborn in that moment.

You will be a massive foundation in his life, driving him to pursues his passions and dreams, providing support and respect. Though, as much as you’re a rock in his life, he would probably hide you from his father, wanting to silently be with you.

During those moment, your vast knowledge would be shared and generously absorbed like a sponge because Tyelpe isn’t missing the free opportunity to learn about the world before and around him.

Masterlist

Taglist: @lilmelily @ranhanabi777 @rain-on-my-umbrella @mysticmoomin @asianbutnotjapanese @batsyforyou @aconstructofamind @involuntaryspasms @stormchaser819 @addaigio @ladyenchanted @hermaeuswhora @mcwentfandomtraveling @elficially-done-with-life @lamemaster @eunoiaastralwings

If you would like to be tagged, click the taglist link to join!

[lover-of-mine]

it's also not lost on me that the people acting like those who don't care about bucktommy want buck to never have been with another man, are now turning around and saying that eddie should be alone for the rest of his life if he doesn't end up with buck...just say you hate characters of color if they don't exist to serve as props for the pretty white boy and go lol

I mean, literally, people don't even want Eddie to have loved his wife because that would make it so he didn't always exist for Buck. If he's not a prop on Buck's story, he's nothing for some people and that's very telling. Buck needs to fuck all of LA but Eddie needs to be the sad widower forever. Just say you hate Eddie and only shipped buddie because it was the only option and go.

But, anon, darling, since I'm going controversial right now because I don't give a fuck anymore and I'm just tired, I'm gonna use this to say my most controversial Buck/Eddie thought ever. I think narratively, you can introduce a love interest for Eddie, man or woman, that would be a satisfying endgame relationship for him in a way you can't do with Buck. Obviously, it wouldn't be as satisfying as if he ends up with Buck, I think that buddie is the natural progression of the narrative for both Buck and Eddie. And I desperately want that payoff. That being said, considering the way that what stops Eddie from pursuing actual happiness in a romantic relationship is pretty much his status as a widower, the way he can't let go of what he thinks he could've had with Shannon if he had made different choices, and this idea of what he needs to provide in a relationship that goes against what he actually needs, to have him realize that and meet someone who helps him be happy that he is alive again could work. To suddenly give him that spark he keeps saying he wants and let him settle into it could work. It would have to be constructed carefully, but it can be constructed. Buck on the other hand, his endgame relationship needs a level of construction that would take an amount of work the show just doesn't have the time to build anymore. Unless the show is gonna have 20 seasons and give grey's anatomy a run for its money. Because considering the way Buck keeps letting himself be chased because he wants stability but he's too scared to actually do something about it and end up making the wrong choice, he needs a friends to lovers arc for it to be satisfying. Buck needs that initial level of partnership outside of the physical connection before he gets into a romantic relationship in my opinion. Even more considering Buck's relationship with sex, his own body, his sense of self worth, I think he needs someone who will see him fully before wanting to add romance into it and that's Eddie. They don't have the time to introduce someone who will take this spot in Buck's life and have it naturally progress into something romantic because that spot is already filled. Buck has been consistently shown as someone who jumps into the physical aspect of a relationship first, from groovyheels to Tommy, so I think that the only relationship that would feel truly satisfying for Buck to end up in, is one with someone who loved him without the physical first. And that's always gonna be Eddie. There's no way to add a second best friend for Buck at this point of the show. So someone else is never gonna live up to this need Buck has to be understood beyond what he can offer. To be loved anyway. For Buck it's always gonna be Eddie. But I think Eddie could learn to be loved by someone else if the show really wanted to keep them apart. I don't want it to happen, I want both of them together, I think it's the best ending for the story they are telling, but in a reality where buddie is not on the table, I think it makes more sense for Buck to end up alone than Eddie. It would be tragic. But it would make more sense than Buck with whoever and Eddie alone.

And also the people who want Eddie to be alone need to go. Along with the people who want Eddie to die so that bt can raise Chris. Along with the people who think Eddie is a prop on Buck's story. Along with the people who can't seem to see Eddie beyond what he can offer Buck. Along with everyone who can't seem to understand Eddie is also a main character. Anyone who doesn't see Eddie as his own character needs to go.

[littlemisssquiggles]

In today’s episode, Jaune revealed that Lewis and Alyx were actually residents of Vacuo Kingdom (surprise, surprise) during a time before the Great War. And since we know that Lewis actually returned from the Ever After, it make wonder something curious.

If Lewis was the author of the Girl Who Fell Through the World fairy-tale then it would make perfect sense as to why he omitted himself from the written adventures in the Ever After and chose to make Alyx the protagonist. It makes sense since, unlike Lewis, Alyx never returned home and basically “died” in the Ever After.

So my assumption is that Lewis must’ve maintained his sister’s story through his story about her. That way Alyx’s legacy was able to live on in some shape or form despite the real Alyx practically ceasing to exist after never returning home.

Since Jaune was shown to still be have some qualms over his time in the Ever After, it got me thinking.

What if…Jaune were to (somehow) discover the original journal of Lewis which he had used to record his experience in the Ever After in the Vacuo archives?

What if…Jaune were to meet someone closely connected to Lewis and Alyx while in Vacuo? Like a surviving member of their family bloodline still thriving in modern Remnant.

What if… Headmaster Theodore was that surviving member? I know the main popular theory is that Lewis was one of Ozma’s reincarnations but imagine if Lewis wasn’t an Ozma reincarnation but Theo’s ancestor instead?

I haven’t read either of the RWBY After the Fall books so I’m not familiar with Headmaster Theodore in terms of characterization or like what his backstory is.

That being said, I do, however like the idea of the final maiden being connected to Theo in some shape or form.

For me, I like the prospect of the Summer Maiden being either Theo’s daughter or younger sister or cousin or niece or some important person to him as she’s probably the only family he has left.

Again, I don’t know anything about Theo but thus far, none of the other headmasters of the huntsmen academies have had any reason to be protective of their respective maiden outside of a moral obligation as per Ozpin’s instructions.

To make Theo stand out more, I think it would be a nice change of pace if Theo, the final headmaster, were to share an actual connection to the final  maiden as she is a beloved relative of his.

Why bring this up? Well I like the idea of Jaune forming a close relationship with another Maiden candidate. Maybe he could even fall in love with the Summer Maiden.

Technically, Jaune hasn’t had a legit love interest since Pyrhha and I don’t know about ya’ll but…after six seasons (and half a movie), I’m kind of tired of being reminded of Arkos, ya’ll.

It was the Ship that was meant to be that never got to be because Writers decided to kill it off early.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Arkos. Arkos was a great ship that was gone too soon.

To (finally) close the chapter on Jaune moving on from Pyrhha (since even after all of his growth, I still don't think he's over her as the show keeps constantly bringing up whenever they can)...

I think it actually might be cute if Jaune does end up being romantically involved with the Summer Maiden who he actually succeeds in protecting from Cinder when she comes to steal her powers.

I’ve grown tired of new maidens showing up in the story just to die for the sake of the powers being passed onto a main character.

Since Summer is the last maiden, it would be nice if Summer is the one to stop the cycle of original maiden deaths and she actually gets to live on even after opening the vault.

As much as I like WhiteKnight as a ship, I honestly gave up on it becoming canon after V5 dropped and nothing else was done to further develop Weiss and Jaune’s relationship as a prospective romance.

Yeah sure, V9 tossed us a crumb of Weiss being attracted to Jaune in his more mature Rusted Knight persona.

But after further deliberation, I’ve concluded that that little nugget of hope isn’t enough to get me back on the horse of hoping for a romance between these two.

Do you know what would actually be pretty wild?

If Jaune fell in love with the Summer Maiden who is not only a red-head (like Pyrhha) but is also a descendent of Lewis who is the author of the Girl Who Fell Through the World and thus a relative of Alyx.

And unlike Alyx and Pyrhha who Jaune failed to protect/help/save, Jaune is able to do just that with the Summer Maiden by protecting her from Cinder and thus, the two are able to live happily ever after.

That would actually be wild.

Not saying this would become true in the canon. I'm just tossing it out into the RWBY FNDM ether as a food for thought.

~LMS (2024)

[buddiebeginz]

That scene with Eddie and Kim dressed as Shannon is that supposed to be the big emotional scene that was being talked about leading up to this episode? If Tim is expecting me to be invested in a scene like that he's sorely mistaken.

I love Ryan and Eddie but there was too much wrong with that scene for it have any kind emotional impact. I honestly just left it being confused and angry.

In the first place the scene initially came off looking like a dream especially since Kim was styled almost exactly how we saw Shannon talking to Chris in 701. I thought okay Eddie is going to say all these things to dream Shannon that he wanted to say (even get angry with her) things he didn't get to say before she died. Except here's the other problem Tim is trying to prop Shannon up and make her into a better person than she was. He's also trying to make it seem like Eddie had all these huge feelings for her that were never shown previously.

I definitely believe that Eddie loved Shannon and of course he had a lot of history with her and she's Chris' mother but I don't believe he was in romantic love with her. Eddie was always running away from Shannon even in s2. The only reason he even asked her to be with him again is because of Chris and because they thought she was pregnant. And really because Eddie has always done what he thinks he's supposed to do not what he truly wants to do especially when it comes to relationships.

I really can't stand when shows try and rewrite history like this. Shannon was important to Eddie but the show keeps trying to make her relationship with Eddie into something it wasn't and it really makes me hate when they bring her up.

Back to the scene with Eddie and Kim like I said I thought it was a dream so I really wanted to see where they were going with it. But as soon as they kept having Eddie talk about how he can't move on from Shannon because of how much he loved her I'm like nope I'm out. Let this man move on. Let him finally admit to himself that his relationship with Shannon wasn't perfect and let him stop comparing every relationship he ever gets into to something that never even existed.

The bigger problem I had with this scene though is that it wasn't even Shannon. If you wanted the audience to have some kind of emotional response to Eddie grieving his dead ex wife maybe don't have some woman he's cheating with dress up as her. It was all so bizzare. I also fail to see what Kim's motivation is for even doing that. She barely knows Eddie and she knows now that he was only even seeing her as some kind of replacement for his dead ex yet she's still interested in him. Then to top it off we had Marisol and Chris walking in on the whole scene. Having Chris see this woman who looks like his dead mom is just really cruel. I love Eddie but I really hope he's going to have to answer for that. I don't want to see the show just brush this off with some kind of talk between them because the level of so not okay that was is off the charts.

I just wish I knew where Tim is going with any of this because it's all so weird. I thought this Kim storyline was going to be about helping Eddie get closure and move forward but now I don't know what they're doing. I really hope that both Marisol and Kim will be gone by next season. This isn't even about Buddie neither one of them would make a good love interest for Eddie at this point.

Also why give Kim a birthmark like Buck if it's not supposed to make us think of Buck? Far as I can tell it's not a birthmark Devin has or her real hair color so what even was the purpose of that?

What is the purpose of bringing Buck into this storyline? I know Buddie are friends and they had most of the characters busy doing other stuff but I do wonder if Buck will play any more of a role in what's going on with Eddie.

I mean I'm glad they had Buck confront Eddie but tbh I wanted to see him get angrier about it. Buck said something to Eddie like have Marisol and Chris met her because Eddie was saying Kim was only a friend. I just feel like Buck would never want Chris to meet this woman. He just talked to Chris in 701 about how much his mom's death is still seriously affecting him. Why would he want Chris to meet this doppelgänger of his mom?

I know it's a shorter season but some of the writing choices this season feel messy and rushed. I honestly don't anticipate this Vertigo storyline having a satisfying conclusion. As it is they should have started it earlier and now it's being crammed into two already over stuffed episodes. I just hope that Eddie is going to get some better storylines next season because I haven't really been a fan of anything they've done with him on his own this season. Like first the nun and now this. What kind of vendetta do you have against Ryan Guzman Tim because these storylines are awful.

[cancerian-woman]

I won't be offended if you prefer to delete this but your post about Tyler had me thinking...

Caroline really made his grief over his mother dying about her so much so that she issued the worst ultimatum and left herself with...

A drunk old man that used to be her teacher.

A long time friend that never seemed like he got over Elena and definitely has codependent issues with his brother so much so that he sacrificed himself willingly a day after their wedding.

And a power hungry hybrid who gave her money he could more than afford to give and said pretty words but also tortured, enslaved and killed people she was connected to....and also definitely had codependent issues with his brother.

I cannot fathom it.

All true facts. It’s late here so a meta! :D

As a huge Forwood shipper and I’m equally very critical of them. It’s a great ship for them both at first, then becomes a ship only for Caroline’s needs and development which isn’t fair to Tyler That Klaroline/Steroline shadow made those fans believe Tyler was the worst Caroline could get. When in reality he was the BEST romantic partner and friend she ever had.

What upsets me more about that ultimatum that Caroline FORCED is that she’s the only one we see comforting Tyler after Carol’s death. Even before Carol died, and Tyler was skeptical about being alpha she uplifted him and Tyler heavily respected what she had to say and went full force with it. Mind you, this is the same Tyler that broke every bone in his body just to be with Caroline. Then re-agreed to slavery for Care. Forwood communicated with each other and called out their faults. The other tvdu ships weren’t doing that!—then we get this full arc of Caroline’s grief and remember she bluntly told Tyler to get over the fact that she hooked up with Klaus because of her impulses and she’s not good1!!1

The series wanted to bury Forwood and they did so in the worst ways imaginable. Caroline gets pregnant with Alaric’s babies forcibly. (I understand Candice was pregnant but they could’ve hid her belly so Caroline wasn’t pregnant.)-Oh and we can’t forget Alaric was in love with her and proposed.

Steroline was supposed to follow the friends to lovers build up the way Forwood did and it never appears that Stefan is all in the way Caroline is. Tbh, even before the wedding Stefan wanted out the relationship he tried multiple times to end things in s8. Caroline refused and wanted it to work. Building them up after Liz’s death was a choice. Stefan manipulated Caroline heavily to when it came Tyler and their relationship.

Klaroline has no obstacles to pass with them. Klaus may give Caroline pretty things, and money but emotionally he’s never shown to give Caroline any support. When Caroline saves Bonnie from those 12 witches which is her first huge kill(correct me if I’m wrong) since s2 she immediately goes to Klaus and he basically tells her to get away from him. Klaus mentions how she’s too good for that small town but Caroline had never said she hated her home. What she did hate was Klaus grown ass destroying shit. They never had a serious conversation about anything tbh. I did enjoy how Caroline called him out at first but TO’s “you aren’t the villain in my story.” Ruined that. Oh and lol these shippers get on Damon for his rape of Caroline yet somehow, someway excuses that Klaus attempted to rape Caroline too in Tyler’s body…. Anyways! I do think a lot of Klaroline is rooted in Klaus wanting control over Tyler, and Caroline is a way to exert control over Tyler because of his love for her.

Okay this is long af, sorry! To end this off Tyler loved Caroline for who she was. He never wanted her to change, he valued and respected her. Never abused her or anyone she loved. He listened to what she had to say. Caroline’s other love interests NEVER saw her the way Tyler did. Btw, I wish people understood Tyler never, not once slutshamed Caroline for having sex with someone else. He was only mad that she slept with Klaus as if Klaus did not ruin Tyler’s life and murdered his mother. There’s obviously a reason Caroline didn’t want Tyler to know and continued to ignore the boundaries he placed up in s5 so they could just go back to the way SHE wanted them to be. It’s sad they were ruined because 5B of Forwood has moments where you can forget their broken up just based on Forwood’s chemistry. I forgot to add, some fans pretend Tyler couldn’t give Caroline a good life. Tyler wasn’t financially struggling, and would’ve done anything she asked of him. I think it’s a little problematic that Tyler did say everything he liked about himself was Caroline lol. But, he wanted nothing but her and their happiness. Just without the enslavement from Klaus.

Thank you for the ask!

[brw]

soooo any in-depth thoughts/analysis on the recent x-force comic?

Ooooh okay, so I've definitely already ranted far too much to @elvain and @positivelybeastly but yes, I have quite a few, on various levels of complexity. The main thing that really stands out me is this; we have followed Hank for 50 issues of this, and a solid chunk of Percy's Wolverine. We have been in his head at different stages, and observed his thought patterns and his reasoning at different intervals, however weak or out of character those are. Not once did he ever mention or even think about Simon. So it really does stand out that without a moment's hesitation or consideration, he gave his life for Simon. No messing around, no second thoughts... because it was Simon, and Simon specifically. He would have never in a million years done that for anyone on Krakoa. He was willing to permanently ruin his relationship with Jean and with Emma and with so many people he cares about, but not Simon. Simon, he will throw himself in front of time and time again. Even if you're not reading these two as romantic, the literal actual text is clearly that Simon is on a higher tier of emotional importance to Hank, even the worst version of Hank, than anyone else. That stands out. Intentional or not, that is what happens! The only person who could get Hank to stop thinking about Krakoa or about mutantkind's survival above all ethics or morals was Simon Williams.

Now, Percy doesn't write a particularly strong Simon. While Simon is a pacifist, he also kind of fucking hates Logan, and I really don't think even pacifist Simon wouldn't tell Logan to get the fuck out of his face here.

(also, Simon is like 6'2. What the hell is Logan standing on to make him seem so tall?)

And I know for a fact that Percy hasn't read these issues because it doesn't make any sense to write Hank the way he does if he actually has this much knowledge... BUT. But. It does stand out to me how willing Simon was to put himself in front of that gun/nuke thing, because Simon has done that before, and he has died from it. He dies in issue one of Force Works to protect earth from the Kree Ionic Cannon, which comes across as a reference to the comic event Operation: Galactic Storm, where Simon fails to stop a bomb going off that kills many Kree soldiers and this trauma permanently changes the tone of the 1991 Wonder Man series.

Simon has become someone very willing to sacrifice himself to protect other people, because the fear of being responsible for so many deaths has outweighed his fear of dying himself. Anyway, after Force Works, we see Simon's funeral in Tales of the Marvels: Wonder Years, and Hank is briefly interviewed and shown at that funeral, and he looks absolutely miserable.

And it is just... does Beast Prime remember this? Remember how difficult it was to lose his best friend? Hank becomes increasingly reclusive and focused on curing the legacy virus at the expense of his friendships during the 90s; is this part of this? Does this influence just how quick of a decision it was, to put himself and his life in front of Simon once again sacrificing himself for the benefit of others?

As I said, I do not think Ben has read either Force Works or Wonder Years, because why would you read those for this and not any Hank McCoy comic ever, but it does remind me of those moments and there's just. a lot of parallels there I enjoy.

However, I do feel frustrated slightly by the decision made to literally blow up Hank from the 80s–2020s? That's 40 years, and a lot of people have contributed to Hank in that time. Morrison, Whedon, Lobdell, Gillen, Waid, Ewing, Wells, Claremont, and hell, even people who's Hank's I don't like very much, like Bendis or Fraction, they all still had at least something to contribute to the character and it feels wrong that so much of that history is just. gone. Is Percy's writing worth this loss? Has he made any interesting statements about Hank McCoy as a character to justify steamrolling over 40 years of history and established lore and character development? Abigail Brand, gone from Hank's memory. His time travel shenanigans, gone. Dark Beast, a vague comment. Breaking through the door of Avengers mansion to kiss Simon on the floor and give him red roses, also gone. Becoming feline, to the sands of time. It's just depressing that so much has been cut out because writing an actual redemption arc would require having positive thoughts about Hank and we know Percy doesn't have those. I suppose I'm also just generally against the idea that villains have to die to be redeemed, anyway; is it not more interesting and more complex when someone has done so many horrible things as Hank had done under Percy, and he still is capable of change? Why can he only prove that capability in death? It feels like a very lazy way out and I really hope MacKay or someone gives Hank those memories back because so many wonderful and interesting dynamics have been lost because of it and I don't want them just to roll over it as if it hasn't happened.

But it does still really stand out that. Hank was willing to give everything up for Simon, and Simon specifically. Simon was the first person Defenders era Beast could think of that would make things better, that he felt safe talking to, and Simon is the one and only person Beast Prime was willing to die for, to put all the rest of his motivations and impulses on hold for and give up his life because he couldn't bare to lose his friend again.

And now the new Hank is living in Simon's small, one bed flat in L.A.

He's not helping the X-Men fight Orchis or the sentinels, or help X-Force with the Sabertooth problem... no, he's followed Simon to L.A. despite being covered in fur. That's true love if I've ever seen it.

It is also absolutely hysterical how little X-Force did in their own finale. Because did Hank give up his life because he felt regret over what he did for them? Did they successfully inspire change or successfully stop him in any way other than drag a sentinel to bother Simon and Hank? No! They didn't do anything! Logan stabbed Beast Prime but that didn't stop him, Simon being at risk and being in danger did! The combined forces of X-Force and a giant sentinel are not enough to stop Hank McCoy but the actor from Arkon IV is. Not because Simon even spoke to Beast Prime, or because he's thought about Simon once in the past 5 years, but because it was impulsive. Hank loves Simon so deeply that he will give his life for him even at his very worst, even after 5+ years of no contact and no thoughts about him. That's the actual closing statement of X-Force. How much Hank McCoy would do anything for this d list lame actor/underwear model.

[palomahasenteredthechat]

idk i kinda noticed that since he's been in the public eye, any time he's seen around any woman ever, his fans always have something interesting to say (to put it nicely.) like i know it's not everyone in the fandom, but it's a good lump sum. it's honestly parasocial and concerning and needs to be studied at this point. i'm sure there are great essays written by professionals about parasocial relationships and how much it psychologically damages the person who is doing the obsessing (i don't mean this to attack anyone because we all are parasocial to a certain extent. some just take it too far). don't get me wrong, doja has definitely shown the kind of person she is and that is: not a very good one. but at the end of the day, even when he is seen next to an unidentified woman, people go crazy or try to dispell the rumors on his behalf. which i think fans think is trying to help, but they will go as far as finding out the woman's identity and stalking her, and if there is even a smidge of "oh maybe they are together" on that person's social media, they go nuts and say that this person is trying to push the rumors by posting certain things on social media (or they just simply don't like her for any good reason), when in reality, the person is just posting like they usually do. it's the fans looking way to closely in on his personal life when he has said time and time again that he is very private and has even shown that in his actions. then, fans will use the same argument of "he's a private person!!! leave him alone!!!" all while invading his (and whoever else he happens to be involved with) privacy. so, honestly, it just seems like there are certain fans who really won't like any of the women he is romantically involved with.

Of course there are. It's the nature of internet celebrity.

A couple of things. I had a lot of discussions with people yesterday on here, plus texts and actual phone calls. And one of them said something really interesting.

Is he private, or is he secretive? I've been mulling over that one. I know it's sort of the same thing, but it's also sort of not.

One thing about parasocial fans (Of which I am a card-carrying member).

Parasocial behavior is coping behavior. It is absolutely cringe when it spills over into reality, and fans actually post on his friend's pages, or stalk random women, and it's gross, sure.

But stop shaming and blaming people for having these feelings. They are legitimate to them. I am not going to shame anyone for feeling sad, or letdown, or shocked.

Feelings are feelings, and people are entitled to them. I think people want to believe in things. They don't want to go through life with a cynical and jaded attitude. They want to hope that the guy they like is a lightning in a bottle type of person. That in other circumstances, he would maybe be their friend and eventually their lover. That's okay.

The hard work of adulting is processing those feelings in a positive vs maladaptive way. But even the maladaptive way can be beneficial for someone, if it gets them through tough circumstances.

We're a community here, and some of us are struggling.

Because I am ancient, I will say what I said yesterday, and what I have always said:

Wait and see. Time will tell. This too, shall pass.

Breathe, y'all. It's going to be okay. Joe will be okay, and we'll be okay.

[thenightfolknetwork]

Thisss is a bit of an odd question, I think but...

I want to get into the 'dating sphere', but I'm stuck with a few caveats:

-I receive rather decent work in the village closest to me (it's remote enough I had to send in the post to a friend to transcribe) so I can't find myself moving to someplace too much more populated, but also my next point:

-I'm a very anxious person on account of the reaction most people have to me. I'm one of the more ophidian genuses which definitely shows in the face, a bit tall for a lady, and my tail tends to be a bit...adventurous. Most people that ask for my spellwork don't stay long after getting their product. I can see the fear or worry in their faces. It leaves me rather self-conscious to the point I have to put a homo-sapien disguise to gather supplies in-town.

that leads into my final problem. There is somebody who's shown interest in me. Rather he's interested in the disguise I wear in town. He's rather handsome and its hard not to fantasize being more than acquaintances, but...I'm scared of getting my hopes up if I ever reveal to him that I'm not really what I show on the surface. That I'll be back at square one.

Do I try actively seeking out folks who enjoy my real form, at the cost of maybe having to move? or is there a way I can navigate this one right here without him thinking I'm leading him on or tricking him?

I'm so sorry you've been subjected to such unkindness, reader. The difficulties faced by liminal folk in rural and otherwise isolated communities are all too often overlooked, or dismissed by urban nightfolk who suggest their rural counterparts simply move away – as if there is anything simple or reasonable in such a suggestion.

It is entirely right that you should not only hope but expect to be treated with kindness and respect in your local community, no matter how isolated that community may be. But in order to get that support, you first need to show your community that you need it.

Presenting as sapio when you go into town may be more comfortable, but comfort must sometimes give way to necessary, healthy vulnerability. I worry that by habitually hiding your liminal nature, you may be compounding your self-consciousness rather than alleviating it.

You have nothing to hide, reader. There is nothing wrong with having an adventurous tail or being all “for a lady” (a lady of what genus, might I ask?) Other people's discomfort with you is their problem to deal with, not yours.

Besides, the world is very different for the community today than it was just a few years ago. Thanks to major advancements in both communication technology and liminal liberation, your neighbours are used to seeing people of different genuses in the media, and very likely will have experience with nightfolk in their places of work or even among their friends and family.

I encourage you to set aside your romantic concerns for the time being and work on building up your confidence to be yourself in public. You don't have to cast off your disguise all at once, but it is well worth exploring spaces and times where you feel able to venture forth in sapio society without pretending to be one of them.

Some people will not respond well. This is sadly to be expected, but again – not your fault and not your issue to solve. But I feel sure that you will be pleasantly surprised, and that your community will, by and large, rise to the challenge. And, with any luck, this “rather handsome” somebody will be among them.

[For more creaturely advice, check out Monstrous Agonies on your podcast platform of choice, or visit monstrousproductions.org for more info]

[hippolotamus]

7 and 8 for the wip ask please !

Hello dear anon and thanks for your patience!

7. Eddie: i might like it, can’t hurt to try, no harm do- oh shit, what now? This would be a new religion or what I affectionately call the Eddie lace fic. Where Eddie discovers he likes wearing lace and definitely does not have a whole ass (heh) queer identity crisis about it.

He’s going to. He wants to. Eddie knows he can tell Buck anything and will never be shamed or made to feel guilty about it. But how is he supposed to talk with his partner about what he wants when he can’t even let himself look? When his skin tingles and his face flushes and his body temperature soars at the mere possibility.  It doesn’t help that Buck is so goddamn confident and sure of his own kinks. Since long before they got together. Eddie’s definitely been on the wrong end of hearing about them played out with past relationships and hookups enough times to know. Not that he ever thinks Buck said these things to hurt him or make him jealous. Regardless, the point is that he feels like they’re unmatched in this particular department. The sex is incredibly hot and Eddie is usually on board with whatever Buck wants to try. By that reasoning it shouldn’t be a problem the other way around.  But this isn’t lusting after his best friend (which came with its own set of ingrained beliefs to work through). This isn’t even wanting to be spanked or restrained. Or discovering how much of a relief it can be to submit to his boyfriend when the world is too much and he just needs someone else to take over. No, this is something else altogether.  This is Edmundo Diaz — a man raised on the ideology that boys don’t cry, don’t become romantically or sexually involved with other boys, and they certainly never show interest in anything girly or feminine — deliberately wanting to cross that imaginary gender barrier. To reconcile former soldier, father, and firefighter with the current iteration who might want to slip on lace panties once in a while instead of his everyday briefs. Even if just to find out if he would like it or not. Though he strongly suspects he will.

8. Buck: wait, where the fuck did you come from? you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

Also answered here. I wish I had more to give on this one but I sadly do not! Maybe one day soon.

tagging some peeps who have shown interest in this one @diazsdimples @disasterbuckdiaz @daffi-990 @tizniz @theotherbuckley @fortheloveofbuddie @lemonzestywrites @your-catfish-friend @shortsighted-owl (if i forgot anyone i'm so sorry)

[dipolardruid]

OKAY back with another request! How about Flirty reader with the yanderes? But reader dosnt flirt with the yanderes only to other people like friends/people they just met but never the yanderes. And most importantly if they ask why they say.. “Because I have too much respect for you. Also cuz I see you as my sibling!” The yanderes were family zoned which might be a lot worse than friend zoned lmao

-🌊 anon

TW: Mention of manipulation

Anell

"Too much respect....? Sibling?" She'll be gripping her head in astonishment, she understands the sibling part it happens but too much respect? That's the dumbest crap she's ever heard.

If you want to see her genuinely get mad tell her that, she hasn't made it a secret that she has feelings for you and that she wants to be with you so everytime you'd flirt with someone else infront of her it'd chip at her more and more, so she'll tell you straight up she has feelings for you and be persistent to the point that it could ruin your chances of any romantic interest with anyone else.

As mentioned before saying you see her as a sibling won't set her off since she will still see it as a chance to be able to win you over like in those romcoms.

Tina

"What...?" She stares at you disbelief as you tell her this "I....I don't need a sibling! If I wanted one I could've just asked my parents and too much respect!? If you do give me a chance show me the same amount of respect in our relationship!" Her voice now raised.

"I hate when you let others touch you or give you honeyed words in your ears even more so when you return those advances! I hate it so much that everytime I witness it I can't help but feel like I want to scream!" She finishes her sentence with a puff crouching on the floor with her knees against her chest.

She looks up at you with her brows furrowed before speaking "I'm sure you and I both know what'll happen if my patience truly runs out so how about you quit what you're doing and continue on as usual except your flirting with anyone who isn't me or the others...ok?"

Paul

He stares at you with furrowed brows and jaw clenched his hands in a fist so tight you can see them shaking from the force "I already have brothers and sisters I don't need another one..." He says through gritted teeth his breathing becoming ragged as he finishes his sentence.

He takes slow steps towards you "Not only that you give me the stupid excuse of having too much respect for me...I have people who throw themselves at me saying how much they respect me, admire me some even want to be me..." He stops halfway towards you upon seeing your face which causes him to begin slouching.

"Yet the person I want more than anything to look at me with those eyes and give me those flirtatious remarks can't help but see me as nothing more than a sibling...it's not fair."

Petra

You see as her cheeks, eyes and the tip of her nose turn red at your statement "I...I understand." You watch as she turns away from you and quickly makes her way out of the room not leaving you to process what's happening before she has the door closed.

Throughout the days you notice how she seems to be more quiet and a little distant when it comes to her usual routine but she will converse with you if you talk to her but besides that she won't initiate any type of discussion even with the others. The only one who seems to know what's wrong is Jake but he stays quiet at the request of Petra and is keeping out of it.

It wouldn't be until you would return the advances of another classmate that she'd finally give in, she would wait until she was sure you both were alone before doing anything.

"I don't understand....you barely met them yet you are so ready to throw yourself at them while I'm left in the dust, haven't I shown you how much I care!? I just don't understand what am I doing wrong...."

Jake

He doesn't even need to ask he already knows how you view him but will act as if he didn't and use that to his advantage he'll slowly use the people around you to keep your attention on him he'll just put you in situations where you need a hero to save the day, someone to give you a comforting hug or even a protective figure when going out because you never know who could be waiting.

That respect you have for him he will have it be raised so high that when you look at him your eyes will shine as the first thoughts in your mind are how someone like him could even bother with you and once he has you in that mindset he'll begin to trick you into believing that the respect you hold for him is so much more than that.

I mean why else would someones eyes light up upon seeing someone, how your thoughts will slowly start to be filled with him at all times even for basic tasks and he will ensure that by the end of the month everyone else won't even be able to register in your mind besides him and the others.

Request are open!

[mikesbasementbeets]

I disagree that bi mike wouldn’t make sense within the show’s canon. I strongly believe it would make MORE sense within the show’s canon for many different reasons, and that 99% of the evidence gay mike truthers try to twist to say explicitly confirms gay mike can coexist and be used to support bi mike without much adjusting. I think when you carefully analyze seasons 1 through 4 it’s pretty clear that mike had genuine romantic feelings for El at the beginning of the story. And there’s a lot of subtle things that support a bi mike reading. I think a significant portion of aggressive anti-bi mike theories are rooted in either biphobia, a misunderstanding of the nuances of what it means to be bi, or a desire to avoid having to accept mike’s early canon romantic feelings for El (enshrined into the scripts) cause that would mean accepting that it’s a love triangle. I think gay mike makes sense but it is in no way the only sound theory. And I’m not talking about headcanons, I’m talking about the text of the show

ok i know i said earlier i would respond to this in full but honestly there is WAY too much i could get into and this topic has been discussed to death at this point and i’m not interested in starting discourse again, so i’m really gonna try to be brief (spoiler alert, i failed). first of all, here’s my own gay mike analysis from months ago, back when i personally hadn’t seen any actual analysis about it yet and decided to just go through and analyze the show myself. many others have written much more thorough and articulate analyses, so i encourage anyone to seek those out if you’re really interested in developing an informed opinion about it. but if you’re already convinced one way or another, i’m probably not going to change any minds here, because this has all been said before.

the one thing i’m actually going to try to address here is the claim that mike was at some point genuinely romantically attracted to el, because as far as i can tell, that is the ONLY actual argument FOR bi mike. i haven’t seen anyone ever give evidence or try to argue that mike has shown attraction to any other specific woman or to women generally. if i’m wrong about that, please point me to that analysis (don’t tell me about bi flag colors around him though bc those three colors show up together everywhere in the show and are not specific to mike in any way, i don’t think that’s relevant “evidence”). also, i’m not looking at the scripts here, because i’m really only interested in ACTUAL CANON and the literal content of the show itself overrides any partial, text drafts of it, which is what scripts are. they are written for the specific purpose of filming the show and do not provide full and complete context (and what we are TOLD in this show does not always line up with what we are SHOWN).

just to be absolutely clear, i think that (disregarding the mountains of both textual and subtextual evidence of his LACK of attraction to women) mike having shown genuine romantic attraction to even one woman would be enough for him to be legitimately canonized as bisexual, but in all my understanding and analysis of the show, he has not.

from what i understand, bi mike truthers believe that mike had genuine romantic feelings for el in the earlier seasons that either faded over time or just never evolved past the initial childhood crush stage. i’ve addressed the latter idea before (in a post i can't find rn), but to sum up, crushes on people of a different gender, especially in youth, and during times when one is unsure of or figuring out one’s sexuality are COMMON among gay people. having a childhood crush is not the same thing as having genuine romantic feelings, and therefore is not valid evidence toward any particular sexuality. the insistence that it is concrete evidence of bisexuality is rooted in homophobia and a fundamental misunderstanding of the nuance of gay identity.

the first claim though, that he did have genuine romantic feelings in the beginning, but they faded over time, is what i’m going to focus on. i touched on this in my analysis linked above, but i’m going to try to explain again here. mike’s feelings for el have always been demonstrated with extreme consistency throughout the seasons. after their initial meeting and once mike learns to trust her, each time mike has been in a position to tell el how he feels about her, from season one all the way through to season four, he has behaved in the exact same way: he has struggled to put his feelings into words, refusing to outright claim romantic feeling or intent, and ultimately failed to communicate with el in a way she understands.

similarly, when faced with expressing romantic affection toward or about her, he has behaved with confusion, discomfort, and outright rejection of others’ assumptions of his romantic feelings. (read the analysis for more specifics on this)

each of these times is also rife with familial coding and parallels that subtextually explain WHY he is struggling to either voice or demonstrate romantic attraction. for just one specific example, in the first season, right before their first kiss, mike begins to excitedly describe the relationship that the two of them are about the have with each other (in not so many words) as one of a brother and sister. when el correctly infers this implication from his words, he grows confused, because he had been told previously by lucas, dustin, and even nancy, that his feelings for el were romantic. but he relents, and agrees that that is what his description meant. immediately after their first kiss, during which el is dressed in his sister's clothes, and which mike initiates when he can't find the words to express romantic attraction to her, his first word is.... "nancy." and later, when el is weak from killing the lab people who've been chasing them, mike repeats his earlier promise: that when all this is over, his family will become hers.

this is one thing that i genuinely can’t understand when it comes to the idea that mike ever truly liked el romantically. almost (if not) ALL of their interactions, especially in season one, have some sort of parallel to a familial relationship for one or both of them, on top of many of their interactions blatantly referencing the concept of the two of them being like family to one another. the absolute volume of these instances and the unyielding consistency of this pattern, again, beginning from the very first episode of season one and continuing all the way through season four, means that it is undoubtedly intentional. with that in mind, i cannot see any reading of their relationship that leaves room for genuine romantic feelings, when ALL of the subtext, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, overwhelmingly presents them as family.

i’m not going to get way into the subject of compulsory heterosexuality because i could go on forever and i don’t want to, but the timeline of events in el and mike’s relationship arc makes it very clear that that's what’s happening. for el, her arc of independence is (not solely, but still) intrinsically tied to her relationship with mike. for mike, his struggle with his sexuality, specifically his lack of attraction to girls concurrent with his present attraction to boys (MOST presently Will), coincides directly with his relationship arc with el. i’m just going to link a couple of my screenshot posts where i've attempted to demonstrate this, bc i can't find it in me to explain all the nuances of comphet and the complex way these three characters' narratives have been intertwined (i'm bad at tagging so i can't find many, but here, here, here)

you might want to argue against my above points with scenes like the snowball dance, where he calls her beautiful and kisses her, or the make out scene in season three. but both the familial coding/parallels and the overarching themes of forced conformity (aka compulsory heterosexuality) associated with the snowball in my view completely changes the context behind the surface narrative of a “sweet romantic moment,” especially when you consider the coinciding narrative of mike’s relationship with will and the subtext of what that dance means for both of them. similarly, that make out scene, which can also be read as further evidence of mike’s discomfort with physical affection with el, as well as the overall arc of their entire season 3 relationship, is presented to be directly relevant to (specifically, in direct contrast with) mike’s evolving relationship with will, which IS genuinely romantic.

when i say that bi mike would be bad representation, this is what i mean. his “attraction” to el is consistently directly related to and contrasted with his relationship with will, coding his feelings for girls (most specifically the one girl for whom he has ever shown potential for romantic attraction) as lesser than his feelings for boys (specifically will, but ALSO OTHER MEN). bi rep that prioritizes and values attraction for one gender AT THE EXPENSE of attraction for another feels like an extremely problematic representation of bisexuality, if that's really what they are trying to portray. and this is not even getting into the countless subtextual clues that mike specifically DOES NOT LIKE GIRLS. (our son with a girl?, it’s not my fault you don’t like girls, el? sorry not interested, disgusted face next to “women in science,” blatant lack positive of response to “phoebe cates only hotter,” women’s room GET OUT, boys only, blatant and continued confusion over lucas and dustin’s attraction to max, "trying to solve the mystery of the female species" *LOUD BELCH* etc etc these are just off the dome and these are things that DO NOT WORK as queer coding if mike IS attracted to girls but VERY MUCH DO if he is gay. and there are SO MANY of them. more than that, if he is attracted to girls, then they are examples of the show consistently belittling that attraction, which again feels like a pretty shitty way to do bi representation)

god there’s so much more to this, but i can’t get into every little thing because it would take forever. literally there is SO MUCH evidence against it that i genuinely feel that the narrative would not make sense anymore if mike were revealed to be bi in season 5.

just to address a couple other things you said: i think the reason anti bi mike theory might sometimes come off as aggressive is because when one actually analyzes the entire content of the show, the evidence for specifically gay mike is OVERWHELMING and the claim that there is just as much evidence for bi mike remains unsupported, unsubstantiated, and at a certain point comes off as just willfully ignoring canon and even, at times, homophobic. i always see claims that some gay mike analysis is biphobic, and yet i have never seen any evidence of this. the claim that mike is not attracted to women, despite having been in a relationship with one, IS NOT biphobic. the claim that he is not bisexual, despite many people believing he is and wanting that representation, is NOT biphobic. the claim that his feelings for el have always been platonic and not romantic is NOT biphobic. it is an analytical conclusion based on the content of the show itself. i don’t doubt that some gay mike truthers have been biphobic, but i have not seen any actual gay mike ANALYSIS that is specifically biphobic (if you can provide concrete evidence, i will recant this, but i know that i and others have been careful not to resort to any sort of stereotyping or attempts at “analysis” that are rooted in biphobia). conversely, the claim that mike being in a romantic relationship with a woman and behaving romantically with her is PROOF that he is bisexual IS inherently rooted in homophobia and again, a misunderstanding of the nuance of what it means to be gay. i know (or assume, i guess) that most bi mike truthers aren’t outright thinking this way, and really believe mike’s romantic feelings to have been genuine, but as i and many others have tried to explain, when you do what the show is constantly telling you to do and look deeper than the surface level narrative, all of the canonical evidence from mike’s relationship with el actually explicitly and unambiguously points to the fact that his romantic interactions with her were NOT a result of genuine attraction, but rather a result of compulsory heterosexuality and a part of the natural process of figuring out his sexuality.

you also claim gay mike theorizing could come from "a desire to avoid having to accept mike’s early canon romantic feelings for El" but the fact is that it's not a desire for mike not to have had feelings for el (that assumption playing into the idea that gay mike truthers simply don't want him to be bi, hence the claims of biphobia) but what's actually happening is analysis that leads to the conclusion that he canonically did not have romantic feelings for el. the misconception is that gay mike truthers are simply projecting their own desires onto the text instead of what they're actually doing: critically analyzing it. i'd argue that bi mike truthers are the ones who want to avoid having to accept mike's lack of attraction to women, despite all of the evidence for it.

i've read a lot of analysis on here, from a lot of different perspectives, and i can truly say that every single comprehensive, good faith analysis of mike’s character i've ever seen has come to the same conclusion. he’s gay.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

V is for -- Veronica Santangelo

Yay! Sweet, lovely Veronica 😊 I feel like I really need to write for her more often, so this was so perfect, ahh 😩

But I hope y'all like it! <3

And here is the 2k event masterlist, for your browsing pleasure!

--

Pair: Veronica x Reader

Dialogue: “I didn’t know how much I wanted this until now.”

Word: Value

Rating: SFW

Category: Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 1.2k

“V-Veronica? Did I do something wrong? I didn’t mean to–”

“No!” The brotherhood scribe interrupted as she turned to face you where you were standing in the doorway, your knuckles still pressed to the wall where you’d knocked before entering the crimson-walled room. 

“No, Six, you did everything right. I’m just…” Veronica continued as she turned away and she bit her lip, clearly a slew of words was waiting to leave her, but something wouldn’t allow them to pass. 

With a small sigh, you approached her slowly, afraid you’d scare your companion off, like you had almost an hour ago now with your touches, your words that'd evidently been too much for her. 

She’d been receptive to you overall, you thought–  you knew, given the way she was the first to lean her head against you all those months ago, the first to grasp your hand in hers, the first, even, to kiss you on the cheek one night, that stayed so snug and fond in your memory. But... had she not meant any of that romantically? Had she not meant to hint to it all with the nights you felt her crawl into bed beside you? With the way she petted and played with your hair? With the few times you two had kissed one another, not on the cheek, but in a place that screamed 'more than platonic'?

How could I have been so wrong?

You sat on another bed across from her, in the line of three that you had in the guest room at the Lucky 38, keeping your distance enough not to overwhelm her, but close enough that you could try and tell what she was thinking. 

Though, to say you could’ve guessed the next words out of her mouth would’ve been a drastic understatement. 

“...Did I ever tell you I was in love before?”

You tried not to let your eyes widen too dramatically, or let your mouth fall open– merely clearing your throat to mask your surprise.

“B-before?” 

“Yeah, before you…” 

Me? 

You couldn’t hold back your expression this time, the astonishment must’ve shown through every feature of your face as you stared at her, unblinking and slack-jawed; though, if Veronica noticed, she made no mention of it. 

Maybe she just meant ‘before she met me.’ Yeah… maybe that’s it. To think, she might’ve–

“There was this girl,” Veronica continued, and you were pulled from your thoughts, “In the Brotherhood and we, well…”

“They wouldn’t let you be together…” You filled in gently as she trailed off, as realization struck. “You’re right, I do remember you mentioning that to me. But it was so early on, almost just after I’d met you, I’d… I almost forgot it was you who told me that.” 

Veronica only hummed in response, her eyes set firmly on the bed sheets that she was fidgeting with between her pale fingers. Her brow was hard over her downcast eyes, forcing you to lower your head to try and meet her gaze.

“So, um, why did you tell me? So early on, I mean.” 

Veronica nodded before answering, as though she expected this question would soon follow. 

“I didn’t know where this… Just, didn’t know how much I would end up liking you, I suppose I… I used to tell everyone. Everyone I could see myself getting close to, you know? Maybe it’d scare them off, maybe it would tell them that I’m just not interested, because…”

Veronica just stopped in her tracks, her voice vacating her body once again as she stared a hole into the mattress she was seated upon. 

You leaned forward, scooting until you were nearly off your own bed, and put a hand over hers, where it had been fidgeting with the sheet. Without seeming to think about it, Veronica’s hand adjusted to accept your own, twining her fingers with yours intermittently as she continued to fiddle and fuss.

“Because?” You prodded her quietly. 

“Because I never wanted to be interested again. I… Never knew that I wanted this, until now. Until you. Hell, didn’t really even think it was possible for me to fall in love with someone again, but then, along you ca–”

“Love?” You couldn’t contain your outburst, your surprise, any longer, and the word jumped from your lips as you nearly toppled off the bed. 

“Well, yeah. What’d you think?” Veronica laughed a bit, as though it had been obvious to you, as though your question wasn’t a completely valid one.  

“Did– Wait, did you not know?”

Your head shook before any words could formulate, but still, you couldn’t help but find yourself smiling in return at Veronica’s confession, even as obvious as she thought it might be.

“No, I mean… No? I just, I know we liked each other, and I knew that... I loved you, that I wanted to take this further, hence this, uh, little date night surprise I organized, but…” You sighed at the memory of her running off midway through the dinner you’d made in the large hotel room kitchen, recalled the way her glass clattered as you’d told her all she meant to you, as you’d said the same such thing Veronica had just admitted to you. 

And she'd ran the other way.

“You seemed so uncomfortable throughout it,” You continued, hardly even noticing the way you shifted your body from your mattress to her own to sit closer beside her. “Even though we’ve been so close these past few months, I thought maybe you just said yes to my little romantic dinner to be polite. Because, you didn’t want to lose our friendship, as close as it was. Or, I don’t know…” 

“No, well… That’s true too, I suppose. After all, when Christine and I were just friends, things were just…” 

She stopped and looked away, hiding her bright, mahogany eyes from you again, and not for the first time that night, you found yourself mourning the loss of her gaze meeting yours. 

“Look, Veronica… I’m sorry.” Your fingers stroked over her hand as you spoke, calming yourself with the comforting touch as much as you hoped it would her. “I’m sorry for everything that happened. For how the Brotherhood made you feel, for the way they treated both of you. And… If you’re not ready to move on, I… I understand. And, well, I’m willing to wait for you. But if… even if you’re never ready for something like that– a relationship again, I’ll always be your friend.” 

Even as she kept looking down, it was impossible not to notice the way Veronica's lips twitched in a perfect little smile. 

“You’re right, Six.” She said quietly, “I… don’t think I’m ready to move on. And… You’re right that I may never be, but…” Now she looked at you, and you found yourself having to muster the strength to mask your disappointment, as small and insignificant as it was.

I meant what I said. Our friendship… It means too much for me to let this come between us. 

I love her. No matter what that means to either of us, I know it to be true. 

Above all, I just want her to be happy. 

 “What you said,” Veronica continued, “It makes a world of difference to me. And I do, no matter what, Six. I love you.”

Your heart leapt in your chest to hear her say that, and though it craved, everything in you craved to hear her say those words a thousand more times, and to mean them the way you did, you knew that this– what you have with her now– it was enough. 

[nakianshuri]

If the upside brought you back in time then Eddie would have become more entrenched in his judging people based on their clique not as individuals position AKA becoming even more like Jonathan. Instead in the upside down he grew enough to admit that he was wrong about Steve AKA more character growth than Jonathan has had over the whole series.

I assume this is reply to my Stancy/upside down post? Because I agree. The theory only Nancy and/or Steve's previous feelings were somehow restored because they were in the upside down has no basis in anything.

And when it comes to character growth, well, it really goes to show you how much Steve, or more accurately, Joe Keery, changed the show.

Stranger Things gets a lot of recognition about going against stereotypes, but that's not really what it was originally supposed to do. Jonathan was the hero. The party were the heroes, and Nancy was the one who was supposed to free herself of Steve's evil influence, which was turning her from the girl who would dress up with her brother and his friends' DnD campaigns, to the girl who bought new bras for her popular boyfriend.

Barb was supposed to be right: Nancy wasn't being herself with Steve because he didn't fit the "freaks are the best" universe being created on the show. If Steve was played by any other actor, he would have been killed off like Jason was, and the moral of Nancy's journey would have been rather simple: choose the freaks because they, not the Steves of the world, are true to themselves, and with them, you can be true to yourself, too. Jonathan and pre-upside down Eddie were supposed to be right and popular crew were supposed to be the assholes forevermore.

And I think a lot of the audience online feels that POV is still true, and it's affecting how they view the show, the pairings they ship, and the pairings they decide to hate. Jonathan represents what the show was originally supposed to be about: the freaks. Steve represents the change of course. It might be in part why there's so much resistance in some places online to Stancy. In the old narrative of the show, they're supposed to be oil and water, so the idea of them reuniting to some might feel like regression. And it clarifies why there were a lot of bad faith readings of Steve’s love confession to Nancy, and it’s why there might be backlash against Nancy if she’s shown to have a real interest in getting back with him.

But since Steve's redemption arc, ST shifted more and more into Breakfast Club territory, which is that characters with radically different backgrounds and experiences can see each other's mutual humanity; establish platonic, familial, or romantic relationships; and evolve so they all (self-declared Freaks and Homecoming Kings) can be their true selves.

And that's why for me at least, it feels like Jonathan was left behind growth-wise because, unlike everyone other main character, he hasn't had to second-guess his assumptions about people. He wasn't supposed to. Other than realizing his mom was right about Will being alive and that she shouldn't doubt Nancy, what core beliefs has he had to change? Maybe it's fitting that the character with the hardest set beliefs about people since the very beginning is the last character to ever have those assumptions challenged?

Anyway, thanks for the message, and sorry for the length of the reply.

[anghraine]

Hope you dont mind me asking, but what's your take on the idea that Eowyn and Faramirs arc in the steward and the king happening too quickly and doesnt make sense for her character arc? Personally i think the timing of it all is a function of the timeline he set himself up with more than anything else, but as for the second I'm not so sure because I see multiple sides to it. I'm always curious to hear your thoughts!

I don't mind, though it takes me some time to get to things!

I think it mostly makes very good sense for Éowyn's character arc and is far preferable to the other ideas Tolkien considered for her (iirc, marriage to Aragorn or death in battle).

It is very fast, and I think that's a fair criticism of the narrative development in itself. The in-story speed doesn't bother me, but it's basically wedged into one chapter of a long book and reads very quickly. I do think it's abbreviated mostly because there's so much going on in ROTK and so much ground to cover in the later phase. But I do think it's a bit overly abbreviated, yes.

For me, one of the spots that feels the most underwritten is the development of Faramir and Éowyn's friendship. I can believe that they would rapidly become friends! It fits thematically and all. Their interactions after that point are lovely. But it has to be taken almost entirely on faith and it's the most fundamental development in their arc IMO, so I'd have liked to see more of that transition, at least a little.

The other spot that's a little dubious for me is Éowyn's declaration that she'll stop vying with warriors and become a healer, something she has shown no interest in up to that point. If it were foreshadowed in her character, it would be a little easier to buy for some people, I think.

Also, yes, it fits Tolkien's value for healing and peace, as seen in characters like Aragorn and Elrond—but they aren't required to give up warfare altogether. Éomer isn't. Éowyn is her own person and you could argue that it fits her specific arc, but mediating that through the only female warrior (and female major character) in the entire book is always going to rub a lot of people the wrong way.

But to me, Éowyn finding happiness with someone both gentle and iron-willed, and who gets her in a way that nobody else (even Aragorn and perhaps Gandalf) really does, seems very appropriate. Nobody else fully grasped what she was going through. Something else was always more important. So someone who is willing to reach out to her where she's at and really focus on her, while also bridging the way to a life of vitality and healing and growth coupled with significant work to be done, seems very suitable to me.

It also helps for me that, while not a king, Faramir is a Númenórean prince and viceroy/chief counselor/leading minister of the king with a lot of family power and prestige—more than the kings of Rohan, according to Gandalf. And as an individual person, he's singled out from nearly all other men of his time as particularly unique and special. So while Éowyn does have to grow beyond her crush on Aragorn, it's not like she's railroaded into choosing a random ordinary guy or humbled in status or something, or that it's even Tolkien's usual woman marrying down/man marrying up dynamic.

So Éowyn's romance with Faramir doesn't even require her to give up much of what she was after in the first place—she gets a healthier (and more romantic!) happily-ever-after than she could have envisioned and she gets to escape her life in Rohan while gaining status. So she kind of gets it all, rather than being reduced to Faramir's reward, and I do find that satisfying.

(If anything, I feel like Faramir is a reward for her and it's his narrative that is cut short to enable the romance more than hers.)

[rigginsstreet]

Tell me your personal thoughts on Heather being headcanoned as lesbian VS bisexual.

i am a bisexual!heather truther and no one will ever convince me otherwise

i am bisexual, so she is too

her hardcore crushing on billy cannot be ignored. i refuse to let it be ignored. this aspect of their relationship is very important to me not just because it shows she was attracted to him, but because it shows she actually cares about him (shower scene). heather is the only character shown to care about billy pre-possession. she had a genuine interest in his wellbeing and yes that doesnt strictly equate to romantic feelings but to ME this all ties together. also, i like the aspect of her having a crush on him, but hes gay, and they maintain a friendship without it ever being awkward (billy never lets her forget how she wanted him so so bad this is also a key point of their relationship)

i like the parallel with stobin. except heather wears bisexuality better than steve i refuse to let that man be my only representation in that foursome

lesbian!heather headcanons just rub me the wrong way. theres this trend in fandom where female characters just are not allowed to be attracted to men that i do not like. its either make the character a lesbian, or you say shes bisexual (or the character is canonically bisexual) but dont ever let her date a man! cant let her be attracted to men! only women! reads very biphobic to me and i dont care for that one bit!

i have more to say about her canonically liking billy lol ok so that one scene where shes by the picnic table and some guy is next to her (they could just be talking to each other but i got the impression there couldve been some flirting), in my head its a situation heather finds herself in often; guys want to flirt with her, be with her, have her attention. and heather loves having attention on her, relishes in it. makes everyone come to her. which adds more to the fact that shes the one pursuing billy. do i think heathers a huge flirt? yes. do i think shes putting effort like that in with everyone? no.

billy and heather competing over guys. another deeply important headcanon to me. they play wingman to each other just as much as they fight tooth and nail to get a guy in their bed. its a sport. its fun (until one of them loses and then its like 3 days no speaking. its a whole thing)

heather makes guys come to her (unless shes REALLY into someone, then she has no problems making the first move). with girls, she generally pursues them only because hawkins is a small town with no out gay people and she's gonna die of old age waiting around for someone to figure out shes into chicks too and she does not have the patience for that okay. plus shes known for being a flirt anyway so if she goes for a girl who happens to be straight her come ons are subtle enough that they just chalk it up to "heather being heather"

[multidimensional-trashcan]

No don't apologize for the Stucky stuff! I only watched Endgame once in the cinema because it pissed me off so much.

And I just did it again expecting to maybe be a little more forgiving. But NO I am still pissed off mainly because of this part...

same for me! watched endgame once and it pissed me off sooo much. im not sure whether i watched it ever again but im sure that in the future i definitely wont! and y'know for me its not even about shipping them (tho i do somewhat in the sense of i love their dynamic and want to see more of it no matter whether platonic, queerplatonic (or romantic)). but in the movies it is shown that there is no one more important to steve than bucky (man didnt want to fight against him although he was brainwashed and ready to kill him) and bucky literally broke 70 years of mind control for steve (and you dont just establish such a beautiful line as 'til the end of the line' in one movie and then betray that sentiment). they literally love each other! but for some reason people cant fathom platonic love (which it is in canon) greater than romantic love so they think if given the choice steve would go back to peggy. which is the direct opposite of what the three captain america movies showed us! he moves on! he learns she had a happy life, he goes to her funeral for fs sake! he kisses her niece (also dumb ass move of the directors guess they thought it would make people stop shipping stucky or whatever, hate that they basically just included sharon for love interest reasons). and in endgame hes been in the present for about 11 years! thats double the time he knew peggy in the 40s. and he. moves. on. (sorry it annoys me that they just ignored the whole character development). also the same goes for peggy. while she still was pretty one-dimensional love interest like in the movies, the series about her finally did something with her besides being the woman captain america likes. and she also. moved. on! and then they just erased all that, booted the series out of canon and just made her a cardboard-cut love interest again! ugh. also someone please tell me how it makes sense that Steve Rogers, the man that searched 2 years for Bucky without knowing whether hed find him and who fought out a civil war (at least partially) for him, would just sit around in the 50s while knowing that bucky was being tortured by hydra right now. he just wouldnt. thats so completely out of character i wanna scream! oh god this is long. anyway once again:

STEVE AND BUCKY'S LOVE FOR EACH OTHER IS CANON! AND JUST BECAUSE STEVE LOVED (yes ill say loved see 'he moved on') PEGGY ROMANTICALLY THAT DOESNT MEAN ITS MORE IMPORTANT OR GREATER THAN HIS LOVE FOR BUCKY. SAME GOES FOR IF HE STILL LOVED HER! THIS IS TRUE IN REAL LIFE TOO! PLATONIC LOVE IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY LESSER THAN ROMANTIC LOVE! THIS ALSO MEANS THAT 'THERES NO OTHER EXPLANATION THAN ROMANCE FOR STUCKY IS ALSO WRONG'. YES YOU CAN HEADCANON THEM AS ROMANTIC BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY EXPLANATION.

and yes im aware that even with steve staying in the present, steve and bucky's relationship would still have been sidelined in favour of a romantic, straight (its marvel what are we expecting) one. i guess thats what i mean when i say im shipping them. they are made for each other ('its difficult to find someone with shared life experience' -> bucky shows up, god i love this) and their relationship is one of the most important in their lifes (if not the most) and relationships with other people (romantic, platonic, queerplatonic or other) would not change anything about that. but marvel (and lets be real the people watching) dont see this. so i have something to rant about for days :)